end of an era

i think i started watching er in about 1996. i remember episodes before that but i didn't watch regularily before i was in high school (past my bedtime). i've been dreading this day since my er addiction began. i remember the good times when abby graduated med school, when neela married michael, when carter was a med student. i remember the bad times when dr. greene died of a brain tumor, when carter got stabbed, and when romano.... well, just romano.

this season has been sad watching everyone say goodbye in their own way. it's been nice to see dr. morris really is a good guy and sam and tony could work things out. but even nicer was the well written episodes. nobody went out with a bang, nothing super dramatic happened to anyone. the end was warm and friendly; like watching friends move along in their lives. the compilation of storylines across 15 years was amazing when carter's kidney transplant came from a donor in seattle who was a patient of dr. ross and nurse hathaway was in charge of transplants, when dr. benton stayed with carter in the nw hospital, when dr. corday interviewed neela for a job, and when neela moved to louisianna to be with ray.

i was fearing a night filled with tears. just thinking back to the last episode with dr. greene made me teary eyed. i remember that episode like it was yesterday when i fact it was 7 years ago. i did not shed any tears tonight. the final episode went out in true er fashion with a guest star, alexis bledel, and a good hearted story about the doctors and nurses of the er.

it is truely the end of an era.....